Science and Space - New Discoveries, Research, Studies And Breakthroughs

Curious about recent discoveries and breakthroughs related to space and science? Interested in the latest research findings in biology, physics, chemistry or the applied sciences or in astronomy and space exploration? Please visit us often to get the most interesting news and updates on the study of science and space.

Hello Kitty, Japan's character queen of cute, is celebrating her 40th anniversary by getting high... 600km (372.8 miles) above sea level, that is! Having stowed away aboard the Hodoyoshi 3 micro-satellite, a 4cm (1.6 inch) tall Hello Kitty figure now gazes down upon us through a glass window while redirecting 180-character messages from fans to their friends and families.

No your eyes are not deceiving you. The billiantly crazy Miracle Machine is a new invention like no other, or so it seems. Winemakers Bob Levy and Martha McClellen have managed to come up with the first winemaking device for the home. Of course, you will need a few things before you are sitting in front of the fire knocking back the equivalent of a 1999 Cote Rotie, but hey, isn't that always the case? Trust me when I say you will want to read on. This bad boy is much more, or perhaps less, than it seems.

Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes,
atherosclerosis... These are just five of the more than 40 identified
amyloid diseases, serious diseases that currently have limited
treatments and no cure. But, after 10 years of research, bioengineers
at the University of Washington (UW) have created a novel protein that
can stop the amyloid protein in its tracks....

Is taste really enough anymore? Regardless of your answer to this question, it is certainly one which the nostrel-savvy founders of the innovative company Molecule-R would answer with a resounding NO. The AROMAFORK is a new, and slightly crazy food invention and is the result of extensive research into the complex workings of the nasal passageways. With this device customers can experience an abundance of flavored scents even more intriguing than the invention itself.

You are lucky if you've never smelledhydrogen sulfide,
a gas most strongly wafting from swamps and sewers. But you probably
have smelled it, as hydrogen sulfide is present in flatulence and in
rotten eggs. It results from the breakdown of organic matter without the
benefit of
oxygen. In anything but very tiny amounts, hydrogen sulfide is very
toxic, flammable, and corrosive. But researchers at
Great Britain's University of Exeter have found some promising
applications for this gas when used in small doses and targeted
to certain cells in our bodies.

Though great advances have been made to maximize the amount of sunlight that
is absorbed by solar cells, the best solution, until now, is a two-step
chemical process that enables the cells to absorb 96 percent of the
sun's light. That's an excellent result. But Rice University chemists
have created a single-step process that enables the cells to absorb 99
percent of the sun's light, a process that is not only more efficient
than other current processes, but less expensive.

So, uh...Star Trek's warp drives might not be the domain of science fiction for much longer. The company late yesterday unveiled a "warp ship" that can legitimately travel faster than the speed of light. Guess it'll soon be time for us to explore the Final Frontier, won't it?

You know that 'love at first sight' thing? Much of that feeling,
including the feeling of sexual arousal, is due to the hormone oxytocin
(not to be confused with the drug 'oxycodone'), which is produced by
the hypothalmus and released by the pituitary gland. Researchers at the
University of Tokyo recently performed experiments with dogs applying
an oxytocin spray to their noses, and learned that the hormone has other
effects besides sexual arousal.

While going back into time might be pure fantasy, traveling between five and eight years into the future might just prove to be a reality. Algorithims provide the venue according to one Iranian scientist. Read on for some strange and questionable details.